Rendering 16. Music.

            The article “Britten's War Requiem, CBSO, Birmingham” was published by Ivan Hewett on May 29, 2013. It discussed that The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's performance of Britten's War Requiem under Andris Nelsons was revelatory.

            Speaking of this article, it’s necessary to say, this may be Benjamin Britten’s centenary year, but it was last year that marked an important anniversary of what some say is his greatest piece, the War Requiem. Of course the anniversary performance had to take place in the very same spot. And it had to be given by the same orchestra that performed at the world premiere, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

            In addition, it was an emotional occasion, which gave an extra gravity to the music. The orchestra the CBSO chorus and the three soloists came together to perform the piece again, this time in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall

            In fact the clarity of sight and sound was all to the good. They showed up the special virtues of the conductor, Andris Nelsons, who refused to approach the work with the reverence it sometimes receives from British conductors. He just wanted to make it as thrilling and immediate as possible.

            The result was that passages which can sound like a somewhat dim echo of earlier Britten came up fresh and new. The word “revelatory” is overused in concert reviews, but there it’s exactly right.

            This added to the work’s expressive amplitude, because it made the sombre moments stand out in sharper relief. Much depends on the quality of the two male soloists, and there they were ideally contrasted. Mark Padmore’s tenor captured the consoling, empathetic element in the piece, while Hanno Müller-Brachmann’s grainy baritone caught its weight of fatalism and sadness.

            In conclusion, I’d like to say that I have never been at the Symphony Orchestra’s performance, but now I’ d like to visit it with great pleasure. This article amazed me, because when I was reading it, I imaged every sound and all the picture of that performance.